If Washington State’s GMO-label bills, HB 2637 and SB 6298 don’t get voted out of committee by Friday at 5 pm, they’re dead, which is exactly what Monsanto-funded legislators on both the House and Senate Ag committees want.

The Senate’s Agriculture and Water & Rural Economic Development committee chair, Democratic Sen. Brian Hatfield, and two Republicans, Sens. Jim Honeyford and Mark Schoesler, have all taken money from Monsanto, reports the Organic Consumers Assn.

McDonald’s has recently caved to consumer demands to cease the utilization of ‘pink slime’ scrap meat covered with ammonium hydroxide in their hamburgers and chicken sandwiches.

The announcement highlights the fact that there are many health-crushing additives within the McDonald’s menu, and the reason that their hamburgers absolutely wreak havoc on your body actually has little to do with their high calorie and fat content. In fact, McDonald’s absolutely loves when health professionals neglect to mention the toxic ingredients hidden in their food.

The change was mostly made possible by Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef who has recently gone on a campaign against the fast food giant.

After heavily publicizing the fact that McDonald’s was using the ‘pink slime’ treated with ammonium hydroxide, food activists began to take action.

The scientific literature indicates that there are at least two dozen adverse health effects linked to exposure to mineral oil, a crude oil derivative. New research indicates these fat-soluble hydrocarbons are accumulating to disturbing levels in our bodies, and affecting newborns by contaminating breast milk.

How did they get there? Mineral oil is legally allowed to be added to our foods, drugs and cosmetics, where they accumulate in our bodies over time, with the highest concentrations found in our fat deposits. One autopsy study performed in 1985, revealed that 48% of the livers and 46% of the spleens of the 465 autopsies analyzed showed signs of mineral-oil induced lipogranuloma (a nodule of necrotic, fatty tissue associated with granulomatous inflammation or a foreign-body reaction around a deposit of an oily substance), indicating just how widespread pathological tissue changes associated with exposure reallly are.

Researchers have found the first endophytic fungus that eats plastic, and can use it as its sole food source even in an oxygen-free environment. [1]

Pestalotiopsis microspora presents a massive bioremediation opportunity for landfills, where buried and surface plastics can be degraded naturally.

More likely, though, the enzyme responsible for degrading polyurethane (PUR) will be tweaked, patented and commercialized. There will be no mad escape into urban centers where the mold will eat all our plastics, like medical scientist Kit Pedler envisioned in his sci-fi classic, Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters.

Common Food Items Could Contain 180 Times More Fluoride Than Tap WaterAnthony GucciardiTuesday, February 7, 2012Activist Post

Fluoridated tap water and toothpaste are oftentimes considered the main sources of fluoride exposure, but it turns out that common food items could also be largely contributing to your fluoride intake.

According to fluoride expert, Jeff Green, who has been actively protesting and studying the effects of fluoride on the body for other 15 years, one common food product contains up to 180 times more fluoride than your fluoridated tap water!

According to Green, the culprit is non-organic food, but not just one kind.

Even small amounts of exposure to many chemicals can result in drastic negative health consequences – bisphenol-A (BPA) is no exception.

Found in many household goods such as plastic and some food items, BPA acts as an endocrine-disrupting chemical that mimics hormones in the body.

Due to the incredible negative effects BPA possesses, and given its prominent place in today’s society, scientist Frederick vom Saal thinks that this chemical should be banned completely.

For 20 years Saal has been on a quest to remove endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA completely from daily use. The chemical is has been shown to adversely affect male genital development and therefore cause widespread fertility problems. In addition, there are more than 130 studies confirming the link between BPA and breast cancer.

Vermont has taken the initiative against Monsanto and other biotechnology corporations in launching new legislation that would require the labeling of products containing genetically modified ingredients.

The bill, known as the ‘VT Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act’, was introduced to the Vermont House of Representatives by Representative Kate Webb of Shelburne on February 1st, 2012.

The bill would require the labeling of not only products filled entirely with GMOs, but also for those partially created using GM ingredients.

The approval of genetically modified salmon has been a controversial issue for quite some time now, and the heat surrounding the altered fish isn’t dying down.

Recently three United States consumer groups petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce a more strict and rigorous review process for the genetically modified fish than is currently in place.

The FDA needs to realize that many people simply do not want to knowingly consume this toxic creation.

Consumer Groups Call for Genetically Modified Salmon to be Classified as ‘Food Additive’A new genetically modified animal hybrid known as genetically modified salmon ignited great concern in September of 2010 due to its threat to human health and the environment. While consumer groups and activists have (and still are) attempting to at the very least require labeling of the frankenfish, government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture have been pushing for its approval.

Vietnam here we come! At least that is what biotech giant Monsanto is saying. The multinational agricultural corporation most known for creating the hazardous chemical Agent Orange, which led to thousands of deaths and birth defects due to its widespread use within the country, is now attempting to begin providing Vietnam with their genetically modified foods.

During the Vietnam War, Monsanto’s Agent Orange was used as a part of the United States’ ‘herbicidal warfare program’. Having killed an estimated 400,000, deforming 500,00, and sickening 2 million, even 30 years after the war people are still suffering from the health effects induced by the chemical.

Agent Orange has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, live damage, and other major health problems. Although the damage is great, US courts have protected both Monsanto and Dow Chemical from liability and criminal prosecution.

There's a story doing the rounds again, about how Monsanto, one of the world’s largest profiteers of genetically engineered (GE) food, banned GE food from its own corporate canteens!

Monsanto had its pants pulled down by Friends of the Earth in 1999, who revealed that the company was refusing to serve to its own staff the very same GE food that it incessantly foists upon impoverished nations on the premise that it will save populations from starvation. Although it has never been proved, Monsanto constantly claims that GE food is harmless – so why wasn't it serving it in its own office?

In one canteen, run by external provider, Sutcliffe Catering, a notice read that a decision has been taken to remove, as far as practicable, GE soya and maize from all food products served in the canteen. “We have taken the above steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve", the provider said.

Often marketed as Equal and Nutrasweet, aspartame is a well-known neurotoxic sweetener used in many food products.

This cancer-causing artificial sweetener is threatening the health of populations worldwide, and has even been found to be created using genetically modified bacteria.

While most individuals know about aspartame and its dangers, there is another, lesser known sweetener in the food supply that many people don’t know about – Neotame.CONTINUE: [link to www.activistpost.com]

(NaturalNews) It could be lurking in the foods you eat every single day, including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic foods, and you would never even know it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared that one of Monsanto's latest creations, a synthetic sweetener chemical known as neotame, does not have to be labeled in food products, including even in organic food products.

A modified version of aspartame with even more added toxicity, neotame received quiet and unassuming FDA approval back in 2002, even though no safety studies have ever been conducted on the chemical ( [link to www.neotame.com] In fact, an investigation conducted by Feingold.org found only four studies relating to neotame in the MEDLINE database.

Under the healthcare reform of 2010, the FDA was given the authority to regulate generic versions of genetically engineered (GE) drugs.

Furthermore, some genetically engineered drugs may not even receive human or animal testing — it all depends on whether or not the FDA deems it necessary.

The FDA is proposing new guidelines — an ‘abbreviated pathway’ — for generic drug makers to make similar, but not necessarily identical, generic drugs called ‘biosimilars’. The FDA will accept the drug studies from the original GE drug for approval, and will only require animal or human testing if the FDA deems it appropriate.

Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in FranceAnthony GucciardiMonday, February 13, 2012Activist Post

In a major victory for public health, and what will hopefully lead to other nations taking action, a French court decided today that GMO crops monster Monsanto is guilty of chemically poisoning a French farmer.

The grain grower, Paul Francois, says he developed neurological problems such as memory loss and headaches after being exposed to Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller back in 2004.

The monumental case paves the way for legal action against Monsanto’s Roundup and other harmful herbicides and pesticides made by other manufacturers.CONTINUE: [link to www.activistpost.com]

Why Children Should Not be Using Cell PhonesMike BarrettWednesday, February 15, 2012Activist Post

The issue of electromagnetic fields (EMF) is increasingly becoming a societal concern. Present wherever electricity flows, these invisible waves are causing damage to the health of all living organisms.

Due to advancements in technology, EMFs can be found in bedrooms, classrooms, playgrounds, and basically anywhere -- thanks to our wireless world.

Technology is being applied earlier on in life, causing the youngest of kids to partake in heavy cell phone and TV activity. It is unfortunate, as growing children are more susceptible to the dangers brought on by EMFs. Cell phones in particular have become a major concern, with kids as young as 10 years old using them.

In an exciting act of grassroots resistance to Monsanto and their GMOs that are ravaging the planet, activist Adam Eidinger has infiltrated a Monsanto shareholder meeting and posted the video up on Youtube. Eidinger discusses the negative impact of GMO crops, Roundup, and other Monsanto creations on human health and the environment. As a result, a shocked Monsanto spokesman (identified as CEO Hugh Grant by Eidinger) does his best to brush off the concerns and assure the activist that the company — the same company that has been found to be running slave rings on their GMO crop fields — cares very much about the concerns of their shareholders.

France is not bowing down to GMO giant Monsanto, now asking the European Commission to suspend authorization to Monsanto’s genetically modified corn. The news comes after France charged Monsanto with chemical poisoning after it was found that a farmer had suffered severe adverse health reactions as a result of exposure to Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller. Despite losing court rulings against Monsanto’s GMO corn, the environment ministry is attempting to fortify a ban on the crops over serious environmental concerns.

France originally banned the growing of the genetically modified corn, known as MON810, in 2008. The strain is currently the only GM crop approved for planting in the European Union, and has been targeted as a serious threat to the environment. The French government said back in November, following the ruling against the attempted ban by the highest court, that it would look at all ways possible to suspend GM planting. Perhaps they have finally found a viable strategy

New Research: GMO Food Far Worse Than We ThinkSunday, February 19th 2012 by Sayer Ji

Disturbing new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology indicates that genetically modified (GM) crops with "stacked traits" - that is, with multiple traits such as glyphosate-herbicide resistance and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal toxins engineered together into the same plant, are likely far more dangerous to human health than previously believed, due to their synergistic toxicity.

Resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, has been engineered into many GM plants, so that fields can be sprayed indiscriminately with herbicide without destroying the crops. While the GM glyphosate-resistant plants survive, they subsequently contain residues of glyphosate and its various metabolites (e.g. aminomethylphosphonic acid) that present a significant health threat to the public.

The Obama administration is now blocking a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by an environmental group, Public Employees for Environment Responsibility (PEER), which is attempting to uncover Obama’s connections to Monsanto-linked lobbyists.

Keep in mind, Monsanto’s products have been linked to some horrific effects on biological systems like the human body, not the least of which is creating necrosis and significant mutations in critical cell types.